Los Angeles  - Hyundai is developing a new hybrid technology using lithium polymer batteries which the car maker claims are lighter, require less space and are 10 per cent more efficient than current hybrids which use either lithium-ion or nickel-metal hybride.

In addition, the car maker presented special fuel-efficient models called Blue Drive at the Los Angeles Motor Show. These are fitted with a 30 kW electric motor, an improved 2.4-litre petrol engine and regenerative brake energy and a start-stop system.

Los Angeles - Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport has been dropping hints that her tennis career could finally be over, with motherhood fast becoming a full-time occupation.

The 32-year-old has vowed to decide in the next few days whether she will prepare for the Australian Open, which begins January 19 in Melbourne.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, with California facing an $11.2 billion deficit, called Monday for another special legislative session to deal with the crisis.

"Without immediate action, our state is headed for a fiscal disaster," Schwarzenegger said while declaring a fiscal emergency at a news conference in Los Angeles. He said the state could run out of cash to pay its bills by late February, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Los Angeles  - Coming off an election season that was a financial and ratings success, cable news pioneer CNN convened a meeting of top newspaper editors Monday to outline plans for a news wire to serve US newspapers and their websites.

The meeting of editors from more than 30 major newspapers marks the first publicly released details about the plan, which could represent a major challenge to the Associated Press (AP). According to the trade magazine Editor & Publisher, CNN was footing the entire cost of the editors' visits.

Los Angeles  - Coming off an election season that was a financial and ratings success, cable news pioneer CNN convened a meeting of top newspaper editors Monday to outline its plans for a news wire to serve America's thousands of newspapers and their websites.

The meeting of editors from over 30 major newspapers marks the first publicly-released details about the plan which could represent a major challenge to the Associated Press (AP).

AP, the dominant newswire in the US, is facing severe pressure to cut prices from the 1,400 newspapers that own it to help them deal with the twin challenges posed by the internet and the economic downturn.

Los Angeles  - For nearly two-and-a-half quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't stop the Dallas Mavericks, until finally figuring it out.

Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 35 points, and the Lakers went on a decisive 17-0 run, bridging the third and fourth quarters en route to their sixth straight victory, 114-107 over the visiting Mavericks on Friday night.

"Tonight was a game where it didn't seem like anything was going our way," said Bryant, who had 23 second-half points. "But we made adjustments and we were able to battle through."